The Rowans is a residential children’s home working within the pioneering Harbour model framework to support young people. The Rowans is a home set on the edge of the beautiful new forest and supports young people through their journey in residential care with a high level of support to develop key skills enabling them to move into foster care or home. What’s in it for you: You will be part of our ever-improving Children’s Service making a difference to children in Dorset. Recently rated as GOOD by Ofsted, our approach to how we work with our children, families and communities is embedded in making Dorset a place where all children thrive. You will be joining a supportive and inclusive Council who will provide you with support, invest and nurture you to enable you to thrive in your job. A comprehensive training programme is available to enable your professional growth and development. You will by making a difference by ensuring that our children stay in Dorset, and they are given the best start in life through outstanding care, support and services. This includes the best education and training opportunities, which enable them to thrive, realise their potential and be the best they can be. What you can expect to be doing: As a Deputy Manager for The Rowans you will provide on-the-ground support and drive change in finding solutions, building sustainable and meaningful relationships and manage the reduction of risk, whilst focusing on local placements with the clear objective of improving work with families and safely reducing the number of children entering care. You will provide clear management and leadership direction using evidence-based models including Trauma Informed Model and Restorative Practice. You will work closely with the Residential Manager to oversee all aspects of management at The Rowans. You will also lead the team in working with the most complex, high risk young people including at times of emergency. You will improve work with families and communities to safely reduce the number of children entering care. You will work with partner agencies to improve social work practice and decision making so that the best choices are made for every child, and lives are improved. About you: We are looking for an experienced, dynamic and motivated Deputy Manager who is ready to develop this service, you will lead from the front to generate a change in culture, systems, relationships, practice and ways of working together, whilst making a real difference to the lives of children, young people and families. You must have prior experience in a senior worker or management role within the previous two years. You must have sound knowledge of the Children’s Home Regulations and Quality Standards along with a workable knowledge of the Ofsted Inspection Framework. It is desirable that you have your L5 in leadership and management (or working towards the qualification) or a Social Work qualification. You will be a kind and caring person with a passion for improving lives, be aspirational in attitude and resilient and flexible in approach. As an inspirational leader you will be passionate about improving the lives of Dorset children and create opportunities for them to thrive. Further Information For an informal conversation to discuss this vacancy further, we welcome you to contact Yvette Hill: [email protected] You must be able to work some evenings, weekends and bank holidays. This post has a significant travel requirement and you are contractually required to have a vehicle (or transport deemed to be suitable by the council) available for use as required. The role is subject to an enhanced DBS check. About Us At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future. We: provide essential services that support over 380,000 residents work in partnership to make a real difference value every role and the impact it has on our communities support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive You will: be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset have access to a range of benefits and support have access to range of training opportunities which will help with your personal development and career progression We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible. If you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application. This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement. If you’re passionate about making a difference, we’d love you to join us. Find out more about how to apply.